My descriptions of the sights we’ve visited in Nepal thus far have been, shall we say, minimal. Mostly this is because by the time we return from the excursions, I am too tired (pleasantly so, I must add) to document much of what we have viewed. This is to inform you that I doubt this will change for the rest of this trip. I either need a little more time and energy to write or a few years less on the body.
The Kopan Monastery
Our first event of the day was to visit the Buddhist Kopan Monastery, located on the mountainside just above Kathmandu. We weren’t quite above the haze of the valley, but the air was slightly better. We arrived on a day full of activity for the several hundred students we observed. Its 1971 (or so) founding is relatively recent and the monastery is a clean, tidy place. Apparently we were lucky with the timing of our visit as some ceremony was taking place. I”m sure our guide described it, but neither Frances nor I followed the explanation.
Boudhnath, the Biggest Stupa in Nepal
The next stop was to visit the Boudhnath Stupa (or Bodhnath, by our trip literature) built about 600 A.D. We couldn’t go in, so we viewed it from all sides. (Stupas are Buddhist shrines, often, including this one, containing relics of Buddha.) The best view, apparently, is from directly above.
Patan and Its Medieval Palaces
Lalitpur is the third largest city in Nepal and contains the medieval capital of Patan. Patan, along with Kathmandu and Bhakpatur (which we did not visit), are the three major cities and the three ancient kingdoms of the Kathmandu valley. Patan’s Durbar Square palace and temples were also badly damaged by the 2015 earthquake but much has been restored. There are both Buddhist and Hindu temples in the complex. While the square as a kingdom’s capital was founded in the 3rd century A.D., most of the temples date from the 16th century.
We again had a sales stop, this time for a demonstration using soft hammers on brass bowls, the vibrations easing tension in the body.
We are now leaving for Chitwan National Park. We’re sitting in the Kathmandu domestic terminal as I write this. It’s only a 20 minute flight away, but apparently it will take us all day to get there. It did.